Today’s Most Common Cyber Attacks

I’m not one for
fear-mongering, but I do preach caution to anyone I can, which is why today I
want to talk about the most common cyber attacks people encounter.

You might be wondering
why cybercriminals commit cyberattacks, but there’s no one answer; cyberattacks
can be used to achieve different goals. For example, one cyber attack may focus
on stealing one’s personal information, another may target one individual in an
effort to ruin their reputation online, and another may attempt to siphon
someone’s funds.

Let’s get one thing
straight: there are plenty of cyber attacks–they’re almost inescapable.
That said, knowing your enemy is the key to defeating–or in this case,
avoiding–them. I don’t want you to become a target of cyber attacks, which is
why I’m going to talk about the most common cyber attacks taking place today.

Wifi Hacking

The term “wifi hacking”
encompasses any cyber attack that focuses on using a wifi network as a platform
to spread malware, steal personal information, and cause overall harm to the
network infrastructure and the people connected.

Cybercriminals who plan
on enacting any sort of wifi hacking gravitate towards public networks, since
public networks are often unsecure and filled to the brim with users.

Avoiding wifi hacks is easy–all you need is a VPN software. A virtual private network encrypts your data and anonymizes your presence on a network, keeping any cybercriminal from harming you in any way. There are plenty of VPNs out there, and different people use different VPNs. For example, Kim Komando prefers ExpressVPN.

Deepfakes

Deepfakes were created
in the late 90’s as a method of photo manipulation for movies and TV shows. It’s
only recently that cybercriminals and trolls got their hands on technology to easily create their own deepfakes.

Deepfake technology
allows one to transpose someone’s face onto another actor/person. For example,
one could easily transpose Donald Trump’s face onto another world leader and
stir up some controversy.

Politicians, actors, and
regular citizens have found themselves victims of deepfake technology. If you
want to avoid becoming a deepfake, try to keep pictures of yourself off the
Internet. I know, it’s not the best solution, but it’s the only one.

Phishing Attacks

Have you ever received a
call from “Microsoft” claiming your “computer is under attack from viruses”?
Probably! Everyone gets that phone call or similar phone calls at least once,
and to say they’re annoying would be an understatement.

To others, these phone
calls represent more than a simple annoyance–they represent danger. These
phone calls are only an example of phishing attacks, attacks designed to trick users into handing over personal information,
money, or both.

These attacks can take
the form of phone calls, emails, texts, and websites. Avoiding phishing scams
requires only a bit of common sense and deep analysis; if something doesn’t
seem trustworthy or sounds too good to be true, don’t click on it/visit it.

Password Attacks

Finally, we have password
attacks, attacks designed to steal your passwords (obviously). These attacks
operate similarly to phishing attacks, though many are designed to steal
passwords through security holes in a network.

Along with the solutions
from our talks on phishing attacks and wifi hacking, you can use two-factor
authentication programs to protect your passwords. This way, even if the
perpetrator figures out your password, they won’t be able to login to your
accounts without your phone or access to your email.

Conclusion

Like I said at the
beginning of this article, there are plenty of cyber attacks that happen every
day, but there’s no reason you need to become one of the countless victims.
Identifying these attacks is the first step to defending yourself against them.